An undying flame
by stella270
Summary: A love that is endearing, timeless and everlasting. After 3 years, Sakura and Sasuke meet again. What would happen? Would things ever be the same? Sasusaku, with a bit of Naruhina. Kindly leave a review whether it's good or bad . Thank you!
1. A flickering light

Sakura gazed unblinkingly at the weak light that was emanating from the lone candle in the silent, dark room. At times, its gentle light grew brighter, but she could not help but notice that its light was gradually weakening. Soon, it diminished to the point that it was nothing more but a tiny speck of light.

Yet, Sakura's gaze never wavered once.

She continued to stare at the candle with her eyes searching hungrily for the soft light that radiated throughout the cold room.

The candle's light continued to flicker, before it was completely snuffed out.

Sakura sat silently on her chair. So this is the ultimate fate of the candles, she pondered. Its light had disappeared without a trace, like an echo fading gradually away, or a fallen leaf decomposing on the wet, muddy ground.

Would this be the ultimate fate of her hopes, too? Would her hopes be dashed, like the cliff giving in to the merciless, unrelenting waves?

Sakura realized that she did not have an answer to this. Sometimes, all one could do was to do one's best and hope that a miracle would occur, turning one's dreams into reality.

Yet, for the umpteenth time, Sakura questioned, had she done her best? Her very personal best?

She could vividly recall the night when he left.

She had entreated him, beseeched him, begged him, yet her words had no effect whatsoever. He left, all the same, with nothing but a "thank-you".

After he had left, there was a void within her that nobody could fill. No, not even the golden rays of the Sun that illuminated the Earth, nor the soothing, comforting voices of her friends.

When he left, he had taken away a part of her. It was as if though he had forcibly ripped out a part of her soul, leaving her desolate, forlorn and helpless.

When he left, he took away all the light, joy and bliss in her life. He had created a vortex which sucked away all her sentiments unfeelingly.

When he left, Sakura lost herself.

Her perfect, felicitous life had been shattered heartlessly. All she could do was stare hopelessly at the thousands of pieces, each of them a treasured memory of hers, that lay scattered on the floor.

Just then, an earsplitting bang knocked her out of her reverie.

"S…Sakura-chan!"

Naruto was practically breathless. Yet, the goofy, cocky grin was unmistakably there.

Despite the gloom that eclipsed her, Sakura had difficulty suppressing a grin. Well, what could she expect? Naruto is Naruto, after all the tumultuous events that had occurred.

Some things would remain just as they are.

"Yes?" she said.

"Good news. I thought you might want to know this. I think that they have managed to pinpoint Sasuke's location."

Sakura nearly fell out of her chair.

**Yap, so that's all I have for my first chapter! I know that it's not a great attempt, but I'm still new, so hopefully my writing would improve as time goes by. This chapter is relatively short, but I've decided to keep my chapters short, so it will be easier for me to upload new ones! Please read and review! Your reviews mean a lot to me!**


	2. Setting off

"W…What?" Sakura stammered, clutching her chair tightly for fear that she might really fall off.

"Relax. Shikamaru's just outside. He'll fill you in on the details soon enough." Naruto's reassuring but slightly maddening grin reappeared.

Sakura could feel her heart palpitating as Naruto spoke. Hastily, she wiped away the beads of sweat on her forehead before flashing Naruto a watery smile.

In the next second, she grabbed Naruto's arm with such force that one had to wonder how such a slim girl could exert such a great force. Together, they zipped out of the lonely, dark room into the warm, welcoming sunlight once again.

Sakura could feel her heart thumping. It was beating madly, pumping more adrenaline for the muscles to work even faster. She could feel Naruto wince under her strong grasp. Yet, she had more pressing matters on her mind…

Sakura skidded to a halt.

Right in front of her stood Shikamaru, his arms crossed as he slowly surveyed the pair through his sharp, beady eyes. A flicker of annoyance passed his face as Naruto tried desperately to free himself from Sakura's incredibly strong grasp.

"Stop making such a commotion!" Sakura slammed Naruto on the ground with a deafening thud.

At this rate, thought Shikamaru, we would probably end up spending our day rushing Naruto to the nearest hospital instead of focusing our energies on finding Uchiha Sasuke.

Shikamaru tried to imagine a bandaged up Naruto, lying motionlessly on the bed, with a black eye while Sakura stormed around, complaining of having to send him to the hospital.

"S…Sakura…" Shikamaru's voice trailed off. Women can be so troublesome at times.

"Sakura, I think it's best if you would stop hitting Naruto. The sooner you stop, the earlier we would be able to set off to find Sasuke."

It was as if though Shikamaru had executed a mind-controlling jutsu. The effects were immediate.

Shikamaru watched silently as Sakura's hand stopped in midair. She had turned and stared at him, a look of wonder passing her face. In that split second, her eyebrows knitted and the irritated expression on her face vanished, replaced by one of sorrow and dejection. She placed Naruto delicately on the ground, before turning to him with a somber but serious expression.

Naruto straightened up too with determination blazing in his eyes.

Shikamaru would have found the scene hilarious had it not been for the sudden change in their moods.

"Alright. Now, I would explain briefly to you our tactics."

Both Naruto and Sakura listened attentively, giving Shikamaru their full and undivided attention; for fear that they might miss even a single word.

Just before Shikamaru finished his long speech, a slim girl with long, silky black hair falling to her waist appeared. One would have been under the misconception that this was some regular, cute girl you would meet in Konoha if one failed to notice the bottomless mauve eyes she possessed.

Hinata smiled shyly at Naruto. "H…Hi, N…Naruto-kun."

Naruto waved back, the silly smile appearing on his face once again.

"Hinata would be accompanying us in our search for Sasuke. I believe that her scouting abilities would come in useful." Shikamaru explained.

"So, all we ready? Let's set off!"

**So that's it for Chapter 2 :D I know it's a pretty inconsequential chapter, with nothing really exciting happening. However, subsequently, the chapters should be more exciting (at least I hope). Please read and REVIEW.**


	3. Did you just say Sasuke

Sakura's gaze was fixed on Shikamaru as they started their journey. Shikamaru had mentioned that Sasuke was in a small town near the Country of Wave.

The country of wave…How long would it take to reach there? Sakura pondered.

In the meantime, Sakura noticed that streaks of passionate red, bright orange and soft mauve coloured the sky. She lifted her head. The Sun was indeed setting. The glowing orange orb now hung lazily at the far end of the horizon, its golden rays soothing and warm.

Shikamaru, too, had noticed that evening had arrived.

"We'd better stop for now." He proclaimed.

Naruto jerked his head irritably. Sakura could feel his displeasure too. After all, at this rate, they might never catch up to Sasuke…

"It's better that we stop. All of us need a good rest, so that we can continue tomorrow at full speed ahead."

Although Sakura was still reluctant to do so, she knew that Shikamaru was right. At the corner of her eye, she could see Hinata yawning, rubbing her sleepy eyes that threatened to close anytime now. It would be pointless to continue this journey if everybody was fatigued and exhausted.

"Let's take a rest, Naruto," she said.

As they set up their tents, Sakura said that she would get some water for the team.

She strolled into the dense forest, humming an uplifting, melodious little tune as she walked. It was unusually dark in the forest. The thick canopy formed a continuous leaf layer, preventing the soft moonlight from penetrating it. Trees towered above her, casting a great shadow.

Just then, the wind blew, carrying with it the fallen leaves on the ground. The branches swayed gently with the wind, their leaves rustling. The leaves fluttered to the ground, encircling Sakura as she tried to step over a great big branch that blocked her path.

Thud, thud, thud.

What is that noise? thought Sakura urgently. The grip on her bucket tightened as cold sweat trickled down her forehead. She did not notice another log lying innocently on the ground, and she tripped.

Sakura fell with a thunderous crash.

She grazed her kneecaps and arms and sprained her ankle, but that was the least of her concerns. Whoever it was in that small clearing had heard her and was now looking for the source of the noise.

Sakura picked herself up hurriedly. With her hand in her small pouch, ready to pick up her shurikens and fling it at the approaching person, Sakura stood apprehensively, her eyes searching for any movement.

Sakura could see him now. He had short white hair that gleamed brightly in the tranquil moonlight, as well as a purple vest.

Sakura readied herself.

Thud, thud, thud.

The sinister sound of his footsteps was getting louder.

Sakura's eagle-like eyes scanned the area in front of her. She reached even deeper into her pouch…

Thud, thud, thud.

"Hey, pinkie. What are you doing here?"

Sakura nearly fell over with shock. Her initial plan to fling those shurikens was forgotten as she stared in wonder at the man before her.

He was unlike anyone Sakura had seen so far. From far, one would have made the assumption that he was just some other guy you saw on the street. Yet, as Sakura scrutinized his face, the most prominent feature of his was his neat row of sharp pointed teeth.

Just like a shark's, thought Sakura.

"Getting water, too?" he pointed at the bucket that lay upside-down on the ground, a fair distance away from Sakura.

Sakura regained her composure.

"Yes," she replied, her voice steady.

"My name's Suigetsu." He said casually.

He walked slightly ahead. Soon, they reached a clearing. Sakura could see a magnificent waterfall falling from a great height. Like a sparkling blue ribbon, it unraveled gracefully from the top of a cliff before hitting the ground beneath with tremendous force. The waters shimmered in the soft moonlight, glistening invitingly.

Sakura watched silently as he scooped up a bucketful of water.

A gratified gleam appeared in Suigetsu's eyes.

"Sasuke should find this enough." He spun around and walked back into the forest.

Sakura doubled over in shock.

"W…Wait!" she cried at the top of her voice.

"Did you just say Sasuke?"

**Yes! I finally finished my 3****rd**** chapter! Hoped you liked it! Next chapter would be about Sakura meeting with Sasuke! PLEASE READ & REVIEW. 3 Your comments are highly appreciated and valued!**


	4. A fated meeting

Suigetsu raised one eyebrow quizzically.

Sakura leaped forward and grabbed his shirt.

"Answer me!" she cried, almost in hysteria.

"Answer me at once! What connection do you have with Sasuke?"

Suigetsu continued to stand there, with his arms akimbo, an annoying smirk now appearing on his face, reminiscent of Naruto's.

It seems that he refuses to answer, thought Sakura.

Well, then, she had absolutely no choice but to…

Wham! Sakura's clenched fist hit Suigetsu on the jaw, sending him flying. She watched, satisfied, as he landed with an earsplitting crash on the ground, a few feet away from her.

To her surprise, what was Suigetsu a moment ago was now nothing but a puddle of water.

"W…What?" Sakura spluttered, bewildered.

Her surprise was further augmented when the water slowly took shape, forming Suigetsu.

Sakura rubbed her eyes. This has to be a nightmare, she thought. All these happenings, from the very moment she walked into the clearing, to the point when Suigetsu literally turned into water, every single one of them just seemed illogical and inconceivable.

Perhaps I am just having hallucinations, thought Sakura, in a desperate attempt to console herself.

Yet, as she watched Suigetsu pick himself up, walking steadily towards her, with his white hair gleaming in the soft, silvery rays of the moon, she knew that it was not a dream.

A mist was now rising, shrouding the world in an impenetrable grey. Sakura could barely make out Suigetsu's outline.

"P…Please," Sakura tried to choke back her tears. She had no wish to appear weak and vulnerable, especially not in front of a stranger.

"Please just tell me where Sasuke-kun is."

Suigetsu lifted his head and stared straight at her. For one moment, their gaze interlocked. Sakura could feel Suigetsu's penetrating her, searching her soul.

She looked steadily back into his eyes.

For that instant, they were engulfed in a silence that was stifling and unbearable, punctuated only by the distant rustling of the leaves.

"I should have known earlier." Suigetsu said lazily, breaking the uncomfortable silence, his gaze fixed onto Sakura's determined face.

"Your name is Haruno Sakura, right?"

Sakura took a step backwards, completely dumbfounded.

"How do you know?"

"Pink hair, emerald eyes…Sigh. And here I am, thinking that you are a softie!"

"I don't understand what you are bantering about."

"Sasuke has mentioned you before," Suigetsu was now staring at Sakura with a sly gleam in his eyes. "Yet, I have never been able to grasp the true nature of your relationship. What exactly are you to him?"

Sakura was at a loss of words. She stood upright, her arms hanging loosely be her side with her mouth slightly gaping open.

What was she to him?

A comrade?

A friend?

Or a lover?

Sakura could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She realized with a stinging pang that she did not have an answer.

Those tears, which should have been familiar to her, now felt salty, bitter and alien.

All of a sudden, Sakura had this image of herself drowning helplessly in the cold, unfeeling waters. She was struggling frantically, but she only sank deeper and deeper…

"I…I'm just…just his comrade," she said finally after another long and awkward pause.

An inquiring smile played about Suigetsu's moist lips. His eyes lit up with curiosity, as he scratched his forehead comprehensively.

"Well, all I can say is that Karin might not be too pleased about meeting you."

He chuckled to himself, a devilish gleam now present in his eyes.

Why should I care if this Karin, whoever she is, likes me or not? Wondered Sakura.

Suigetsu shook his head and signaled with a wave of his hand for her to follow him.

Sakura took a leap forward, her heart pounding madly away. She could feel the blood rushing to her head, making her slightly giddy. Yet, as she followed Suigetsu, there was a certain spring in her steps…

It was as if though the first rays of the morning Sun had penetrated her dark, desolate world.

Sakura could feel the wind blowing pass her as they reached the outskirts of the forest. As she lifted her gaze, Sakura saw a wide plain that extended for miles, as far as the eye can see. The gentle wind played with the blades of grass, caressing her cheek lovingly.

"S…Sasuke? Sakura said uncertainly as her eyes finally landed on four small tents pitched near an ancient tree that towered above her.

"You're back, Suigetsu."

Sakura could hardly believe this. This cold, mellow voice that was completely devoid of emotion could only belong to one person…

"Sasuke-kun!"

**That's all for Chapter 4! Hopefully I will be able to update the story by tomorrow. Read and REVIEW, please!**


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